Cosplay Spotlight: Miso

My cosplay name is Miso! It’s a shorthand for the internet name I used to go by when I was a kid.

2. Where are you from?

I was born and raised in NYC!

3. How long have you been cosplaying?

I’ve been cosplaying for about 8 years. My best friend introduced the world of anime/manga to me and that’s when I got hooked. At first my mom would make my costumes for me, but eventually I started to pick up sewing and started making my own cosplays! That was only a few years ago actually.

4. What is about cosplay that you like?

For me, I love the chance cosplay gives to express myself and push myself creatively. I don’t think there’s anything else quite as stimulating for me than seeing a character or design that I love and getting the chance to recreate their entire look- from the outfit, props, hair and makeup. Cosplay has a lot of creative components that keeps it really interesting and challenging for me, and I love learning about and experimenting with the different medias that come with it. (Prop making, fabric manipulations, embroidery, etc.)

5. What is your favorite experience about cosplay?

My favorite experience about cosplay is the moment I’m in costume and I’m at a convention, which is where it starts to feel very surreal being around everyone else, seeing all these characters being brought to life. During a photoshoot especially, you really get to try and embody the character to try and get the right photos- it’s almost an adrenaline rush for me. It’s also kind of nerve wrecking, haha.

6. Outside of cosplay, what is your favorite thing to do?

Outside of cosplay, I love cooking foods and eating different foods. It’s similar to how I feel about learning new methods to create a cosplay- lately I’ve been really into making foods that you’d normally buy at a supermarket/food place from scratch, like breads, doughnuts, crackers, etc. I personally think it’s really cool to be able to take raw materials and create something from those things- like flour/yeast into bread, or fabric/trims into a costume!

7. Where can we find out more about you?

You can find me on Facebook at Miso Cosplay (http://facebook.com/misocos), Instagram at @misotosoup and I’ve recently rebooted my Youtube page where I make sewing tutorials that could be useful for cosplayers who want to learn how to make things for their costumes! That link is https://youtube.com/c/misocosplay